Kidero ‘paid Shebesh Sh30 million for slap’
By Thomas MatikoFormer Nairobi governor Evans Kidero reportedly paid Sh30 million for slapping fellow politician Rachel Shebesh in 2013, making it potentially the most expensive slap in history.
In an interview on Ghetto Radio, Shebesh, then serving as Nairobi’s Women Representative, now concedes she agreed on an out-of-court settlement with the high-ranking politician.
“Kidero alilipa doo mingi sana, pesa mingi sana, hawezi repeat. Sikutokaga hivyo. To slap a woman in this country nowadays there is a precedence na sijui kama watu wako na dooo wawnaweza kulipa. Alilipa almost Ksh30 million (Kidero paid me a lot of money. I didn’t just accept to let go like that. I wanted to set a precedence),” Shebesh told radio presenters Juliuis Owino alias Majimaji and Nicholas Cheruiyot, aka King Kafu.
Shebesh added that Kidero’s mistake was to have the arrogance and audacity to slap a woman and think he would easily get away with it.
“If I did not go strong on Kidero, I would have opened a floodgate of every woman vying for a seat being treated in the same way Kidero treated me,” she added.
The incident took place in September 2013 shortly after Kidero took office. Shebesh had stormed his office demanding the Governor to address the plight of striking Nairobi county workers some of whom, had been interdicted for taking part in the strike.
A tiff ensued following the confrontation and the governor is said to have landed a heavy slap on Shebesh that had her momentarily stagger before her aides came to her rescue.
The former women representative immediately filed an assault lawsuit against Kidero.
In January 2014, five witnesses withdrew from the case inedicating they were doing so to speed up the reconciliation process between the two former county leaders.
Kidero lost the gubernatorial seat to Mike Sonko but is planning a comeback in the same position but in Homabay.
Shebesh also failed to retain the Women Rep seat but was handed a soft landing by President Uhuru Kenyatta who named her Gender Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS).